KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Freshman Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) and senior Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) both connected on home runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of a scoreless game and then Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) held off a late rally in the top of the seventh as Kutztown held on for a game two victory and a split with West Chester Sunday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division doubleheader at North Campus Field.
 
The Golden Bears (20-13 overall, 8-6 PSAC) lost a lead late in game one, falling 5-2, but bounced back and held on to one late in game two, winning 3-1. They went 3-1 this weekend in two doubleheaders against Shippensburg (Saturday) and the Golden Rams (20-13, 9-7) on Sunday.
 
Brianna Hughes (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) finished with three hits, an RBI and scored a run in the two games. Brianna Stocklin (Deptford, N.J./Deptford Township), Naya Darnowski (Manchester, N.J./Manchester Township), Morgan Slomkowski (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East), Alexa Stevens (Covington Township, Pa./North Pocono) and Emily Henn (Matamoras, Pa./Delaware Valley) all had two hits on the day. Darnowski, Henn and Hughes each hit home runs.
 
Haley Gravish (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) started game two and threw a complete game, allowing an unearned run and four hits. She recorded her 10th victory of the season.
 
Kutztown is back in action on Tuesday, April 9, when it hosts Shepherd for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
 
West Chester 5, Kutztown 2
 
Kutztown continued the weekend trend of clutch hitting with two outs as Darnowski connected on her first home run of the season, a two-run shot, with two outs in the bottom of the third inning to give her team an early 2-0 lead.
 
Natalee Harvey (Swanton, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union), who was dealing through four innings, got into a little bit of trouble in the top of the fifth, as West Chester put up three runs on the scoreboard and took its first lead of the afternoon with three hits, including a two-run double, and a walk. The Golden Rams continued to tack on insurance runs from there, adding one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings.
 
Danielle Ciliberto, who ranks inside the top-five in ERA and opponents batting average, entered the game in the bottom of the fifth and worked a three-inning save, allowing three hits and zero runs. Gravish threw the final 1.2 innings for KU and gave up just one hit and an unearned run.
 
Hughes finished with two hits to lead the lineup. Both Stocklin and Stevens had one hit for the Maroon and Gold.
 
Kutztown 3, West Chester 1
 
The teams went through five scoreless innings before Kutztown broke through in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Darnowski, Henn and Hughes. Darnowski led off the frame with a single to left field and, the very next batter, Henn ripped a shot over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Hughes crushed a pitch that landed a few yards beyond the fence and a 3-0 advantage.
 
West Chester did not go down quietly, however, and threatened in the top of the seventh, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate with just one out and runners on second and third. Gravish induced a pop out and a ground out to end the threat and record the victory for her team in a weekend where the Golden Bears won three-out-of-four games in back-to-back days against Shippensburg and the Golden Rams.

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